Steampunk is a juxtaposition of science fiction, fantasy, and Victorian alternate history. Its roots are in the literature and architecture of the late 19th century while having its branches reach into the future. It is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the music of Abney Park, the engineering of Nikola Tesla, and the aviation of helium and hot air. In the 1980s a subculture of science fiction found a foothold in literature and science fiction conventions. These ‘paths not taken’ alternative histories gave the cyberpunk and Goth followers at the conventions a new path to follow. There were the works of H.G. Wells, as previously noted, the undersea submersible of Captain Nemo in Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the Victorian work of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to start with. Add to that the architecture of the Victorian age as a gentrification in many of the inner cities of America and England, and you have a breeding ground for something not quite realized but possibly attainable.

Join us for a weekend of Steam. There will be academic panels for those of a scholarly nature and classes for those that are more fun oriented. There will be vendors, a drum circle, and the Upstate Steampunk Ball. There will be costume contests and the crowning of Mr. and Ms. Upstate Steampunk. Break out your best goggles, your spats, your hooped skirts, and your sense of humor and prepare to party like it’s 1899.

Interested in presenting?  Possible workshops and topics:

• Victorian tea
• Costuming
• Invention
• Airships
• Books
• Recipes for the Steampunk Aficionado